New Chapter in Bank Manager Murder Case Enters Courtroom

A new chapter in the kidnapping and murder case of bank branch manager M Ilham Pradipta (37) in Jakarta has commenced. The three primary defendants in this case—Candy alias Ken, Dwi Hartono, and Antonius Aditia—underwent their first hearing on Monday, 9 March 2026, as documented on the East Jakarta District Court’s SIPP website on Friday, 13 March 2026. The next hearing session, scheduled for Monday, 16 March, will address the defendants’ legal challenges.

According to the prosecution’s indictment accessed through the court’s SIPP system, Ken began collecting data on branch managers at state-owned bank (BUMN) branches from 2013 onwards, seeking cooperation to transfer funds from dormant or inactive accounts. The prosecution stated that Ken required assistance from bank branch managers to activate these dormant accounts.

Ken subsequently partnered with Dwi Hartono as the operational field coordinator. In June 2025, according to the prosecution, Ken obtained information about a dormant account at a BUMN bank branch office located in Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta, from which approximately Rp 455 billion could be transferred to a receiving account.

“Subsequently, Defendant I Candy alias Ken contacted Defendant II Dwi Hartono to plan the transfer of funds from the dormant account to the receiving account already prepared by Defendant I Candy alias Ken,” the prosecution stated in court records.

Dwi then contacted Antonius Aditia Maharjuni to participate in executing the fund transfer from the dormant account. In July 2025, the three met at a restaurant to discuss plans for transferring the dormant account balance. Ken reportedly explained information regarding the dormant accounts they were targeting. They also discussed their approach to bank branch manager M Ilham Pradipta to facilitate the fund transfer.

“Defendant I Candy alias Ken had previously made several attempts to recruit various bank branch managers for cooperation, but none were willing to participate. Therefore, to ensure this fund transfer operation succeeded,” the prosecutor stated.

The three then developed a two-pronged plan regarding Ilham. First, they would use force or threats of violence to coerce him, then release him after the fund transfer succeeded. Alternatively, they planned to use force or threats, execute the transfer, and subsequently murder Ilham.

They reconvened to discuss profit distribution following Ilham Pradipta’s death on 12 August 2025. If the fund transfer succeeded, Dwi Hartono and Antonius would receive 75 per cent of the proceeds, whilst Ken would receive 25 per cent.

“Subsequently, Defendants I, II, and III discussed task allocation whereby Defendants II and III would form a team to kidnap victim Mohammad Ilham Pradipta and transport him to a safe house. At this safe house, the team under Defendant II, who conducted the kidnapping, would hand over victim Mohammad Ilham Pradipta to the team of Defendant I Candy alias Ken, who possessed banking knowledge and IT/hacking expertise, to coerce victim Mohammad Ilham Pradipta into transferring funds to the receiving account,” the prosecution stated.

Ken reportedly obtained contact information and a photograph of Ilham Pradipta from Facebook on 15 August 2025. The business card and photograph were subsequently sent to Dwi Hartono.

Thereafter, Ken contacted Egi Januar and transmitted Ilham’s personal details. The prosecutor stated that Egi Januar was assigned to interrogate Ilham Pradipta following his kidnapping by the team led by Dwi Hartono and Antonius Aditia Maharjuni.

On 16 August 2025, Dwi Hartono contacted witness Yohanes Joko Pamuntas to identify individuals capable of kidnapping Ilham Pradipta. Yohanes informed Dwi that witness M Nasir, an active Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) member, would assemble a team to kidnap victim Ilham Pradipta.

Ken and Dwi subsequently met with Yohanes and M Nasir in Bogor. During this meeting, according to the prosecution, Nasir agreed to form a kidnapping team that would be monitored by M Nasir and Feri Hariyanto, also a TNI member, for a fee of Rp 60 million. Should the fund transfer succeed, a bonus of Rp 5 billion would be provided.

On 18 August 2025, Dwi Hartono and Antonius Aditia met with Yohanes and Nasir in Bogor to hand over Rp 30 million in cash. The remaining Rp 30 million was transferred to Yohanes’s bank account as operational costs for the kidnapping.

“Subsequently, during this meeting, Defendants II Dwi Hartono and III Antonius Aditia Maharjuni explained that they would prepare a team consisting of witness Rochmat Syukur, witness Eka Wahyu Hadayatullah, and Boma, who would locate and follow victim Mohammad Ilham Pradipta. Additionally, witness Yohanes Joko Pamuntas instructed witness Aloysius Wiranto to assist in tailing victim Mohammad Ilham Pradipta and executing the kidnapping,” the prosecutor stated.

On 19 August 2025, Feri met with Erasmus and transferred Rp 5 million for operational expenses. On 20 August 2025, the defendants’ assembled team awaited Ilham outside his office in Cempaka Putih.

They subsequently tailed Ilham until he entered a supermarket in Ciracas, East Jakarta. The kidnapping occurred at approximately 17:14 local time.

At that moment, Ilham Pradipta was walking towards his vehicle. As Ilham attempted to open his car door, Andre Tomatala and Erasmus Wowo forcibly pulled the victim and coerced him into a white Avanza vehicle. Ilham was seated in the second row, flanked by Andre and Johannes, whilst Reviando sat in the rear seat and Emanuel drove the vehicle. The vehicle departed from the supermarket area.

“Subsequently, because victim Mohammad Ilham Pradipta resisted and attempted to escape…”—the record then indicates the account continues but the provided text concludes at this point.